Noah Piccini meets Murphy the Cockatoo at the Dundas Lions Memorial Community Centre. Lori Gibbons from the Parrot Club of Southern Ontario brought several Parrots to introduce to a fascinated group of preschoolers last week.

Ryan Stephenson rehearses with the Cirque cast on Wednesday afternoon before the first Hamilton show. He performs in three acts -- the Chinese poles, the Russian swing and the bungee.

Children who engage their parents in the homework process perform at an average to above average level at school.

Sharon Davis-Patton, left, and Deb Luimes, participated in the Sea to Sea 2008 Bike Tour.

Elvis, a Vietnamese potbelly pig, is taken for a walk by his owner Joanne Richard. Ms. Richard and Elvis will be taking part in the Wiggle Waggle Walk-A-Thon.

Last year's members of the Stage 3 young company performed Footloose.

Ten-year-olds Maxwell Guerriero-Scott and Shorromme Facey join Hamilton Tiger-Cats running back Jesse Lumsden, left, Soccerworld founder John McGrane and former Tiger-Cats quarterback Danny McManus at last week's media event.

From left, some of the local competitors include Aubrey Smith, Shirley Glauser, Bob Harris and Wilma Jeppeson (far right). Ernie Hudson, second from right, is the local Actifest liaison.

Kimberly Hill (left), a Hamilton District Labour Council executive member and a member of Unite Here, and Mary Long, co-chair of the the Hamilton District Labour Council women's committee, clean up the Day of Mourning monument in preparation for Monday's Labour Day parade.

Jake Cunningham, 4, and Jacob Vanderheyden, 7, learn how to generate electricity by making a circuit during Energy Day at YWCA Active Kids camp. Horizon Utilities, as part of a project called Generation Conservation, sponsored the Energy Day curriculum. John Gregor, one of the authors of Generation Conservation, said the idea of electricity is abstract, and he hopes the day camp and school curriculum will help make energy an understandable concept. "We want it to be a blue box program for energy conservation," he said.

Go beyond the usual ground beef with a lamb burger, served here with mint, olives, grilled bread and tomatoes.